Roster talent rankings: College football teams with the best players in 2018

Based strictly on player recruiting rankings, these are the best rosters in college football

Unlike its basketball counterpart, college football has not been a sport that favors Cinderella stories. Teams exceed expectations and surprise us every season, but when it comes time to crown a champion, the schools that are in position to win it all are the ones who have recruited four- and five-star players at a high level over a five-year window.

Now that 2018 National Signing Day is in the books, those rankings (a five-year average of the 247Sports Composite team rankings) can be updated to give a preview of the most talented teams in college football for 2018.

These rankings are raw: They don't take player attrition, player development, transfers or other factors into consideration -- our partners at 247Sports cover that with Team Talent Composite, which is updated each August as rosters are finalized. Our goal here today is to use a snapshot of recruiting success over five cycles to establish some tiers heading into next season.

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Chip Patterson has spent his young career covering college sports from the Old North State. He's been writing and talking about football and basketball for CBS Sports since 2010. You may have heard him...
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